The Turkmen And Iraqi Homeland Ershad Al-Hirmizi CONTENTS Forward : Chapter One : The Origin Of the Turkmen Chapter Two : Citizenship Chapter Three : International treaties&Covenents Chapter Four : The Political Struggle of Iraqi Turkmen. Chapter Five : The Turkmen Population Of Iraq Chapter Six : The Ethnic Composition Of Turkmen in Iraq. Chapter Seven : The Political Path of Iraqi Turkmen Chapter Eight : Current Proposals for Federalism İn Iraq. Appendix No.1 : Constitution of the Kingdom of Iraq 1925 Appendix No.2: Universal Declaration of Human Rights Appendix No 3 : UNITED NATIONS Declaration Bibliography : FOREWORD The existence of two million Iraqi Turkmen in Iraq has been virtually ignored since the foundation of the Iraqi state by the international media. The main reasons for this situation are the failure of the main Iraqi political parties to provide information on this sector of the population as well as the apparent inability of the Turkmen themselves to do so. For several decades, the Iraqi government has pursued a deliberate policy of misinformation concerning the Turkmen. In particular, so-called legitimate ‘sources’ of information have relied on the Iraqi government’s demographic ‘reports’ which, unfortunately, have been invariably distorted so as to present much-reduced figures for the total population of each distinctly ethnic group within Iraq. It is now well-documented how Saddam Hussein unleashed the defeated Iraqi army on certain sectors of the population after Iraq’s defeat in the Gulf War [give dates], with terrible ferocity. What has not been reported, however, is the fate of the Turkmen in this campaign of vindictiveness in the cities and towns where they constituted the majority of the population. The media consistently referred to these areas as ‘Kurdish territory’ in total disregard of the Turkmen presence. This book is a synopsis of the history of the Turkmen in Iraq against a background of the international treaties and covenants governing human rights which, unfortunately, have never been applied to the Turkmen. It concludes with a brief survey of the actual size of the Turcoman population in Iraq and the political destiny of the Turkmen people. I hope my study will adequately inform western media resources about this people and act as a catalyst for further research. I must acknowledge a great debt of gratitude to the many friends who contributed to this study by their dedicated involvement, for example, in translation and redaction. In particular, I must single out for special commendation Dr. Shaheen Nakeeb, Dr. Mustafa Nakeeb, Mr. Zain H. Terzi, and Dr. Michael Murphy. Without their invaluable assistance, the final product would never have materialized for the enlightenment of the western reader, or any other for that matter. Ershad Al-Hirmizi Kirkuk, June 2003 Chapter One THE ORIGIN OF THE TURKMEN According to the Encyclopaedia of Islam, the Turkmen can trace their ethnic origin to Turkic tribes who settled in Central Asia, retaining their worship of idols beyond the Mongol era 1 and up to their first encounter with Islam. The latter, in its moral and social ethics had close affinities with traditional Turkic codes and practices. The word ‘Turkmen’ eventually became synonymous with ‘Turk’ from about the era of Mahmoud Kashgary. It is now generally accepted as fact that Kashgary, Bayruni and other writers when referring to ‘Turkmen’ were, in fact, describing the Oguz, the Karalook and Halach: Turkic tribes who were engaged in agriculture and inhabiting territories already occupied by more advanced civilizations. 2 1 The Encyclopaedia of Islam, p. 212 7 2 Zeki Velidi Togan, Umumi Turk Tarihi (General Turkic History), Vol. 1, p. 187, Akgun Press, Istanbul, 1946. Ibn-I Saeed states: “ The Turkmen area large number of people who are the descendants of those Turks who conquered Anatolia during the Seljuk area. They were trained to attack the Kharaits who used to live in the coastal areas and capture the youth to be sold and used as labour for the manufacture of carpets.” 3 As far back as the 8th century and, perhaps, even the 5th century, the territories surrounding the Sirderia and the Yedi Su Rivers was described as Turkmen territory. During this period, the Turkmen were inhabiting the region near Saghid an Az in Persia. An eighth century Chinese Encyclopaedia contains a reference to this area as Turkmen territory. 4 We can safely conclude from such references as the foregoing, therefore, that the Turkmen are the descendants of those Oguz tribes who originally came from Central Asia. El-Maroozi states that the Oguz were divided into two main branches: one which settled on the plains grasslands and another which settled in the cities. 3 Cf.Taqueem al-Buldan, the Sultan El-Malik EI-- Muayeed Imad El-Deen Ismael, the prince of Hama, died in 732(Hegira) p. 379, The Sultan Printing House, Paris 1840. 4 Zeki Velidi Togan, ibid p.202-203 The Oguz who converted to Islam were called Turkmen and thereafter frequently fought against those Oguz who had not converted. They then moved to the Pecheneck region near the Black Sea coast, eventually settling in Muslim nations. As time went on, they achieved high position in the governments of the territories in which they had settled and even went on to become rulers, establishing numerous emirates and states.5 The Oguz did not leave their ancestral lands in one, massive migration. Rather, they departed in successive waves over a long period. The majority of historians say that the Quayi Khan tribe6 migrated with the Seljuks from the east (Sogdiana, now known by its modern name: Transoxiana) to what is today Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. They remained in the Latter territories until they were forced to move, by 5 Osman Turan, Selçuklular Tarihi ve Türk-Islam Medenyeti (The Seljuks' History and the Turks' Islamic Civilization), A Publication of the Turkic Cultural Research Institute No. 7, p 72, Ankara, Turkey 1965. 6 The Ottomans Turks are descended from this tribe. order of Sultan Mahmud Al- Ghaznawy,to Khurasan and Mera, eventually settling in Mohan. Ala-u-Deen Al Seljuky, in a letter to Sultan Osman , mentions that both tribes migrated together.7 It is obvious that the Turkmen were the descendants of the Oguz Turks who had previously settled in territories which later became Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Khurasan, who had converted to Islam and later emigrated to Anatolia, Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries. The Oguz Turks can boast an ancient history, vividly apparent, for example, in the Orkhoun paintings which proclaim their high status among Turkic peoples at that time. These historic paintings depict members of the Oguz tribes who lived to the north of the territory of the Gok Turks 8. 7 Namik Kemal, Osmanli Tarhi (Ottoman History), vol. 1 p. 40, Mehmut Bey Press, Istanbul, 1922. The preamble of the letter is as follows: “From long past centuries and along many generations our great forefathers( may God enlighten their paths)and their forefathers (God bless them)have immigrated from Central Asia to Persia and from Akhlat to Greece and have been always together and unified”. 8 Hüseyin Namık Orkun, Turk Tarihi (History of Turkey) Vol. 3, p. 40, Ahmet Saeed Press, Ankara, Turkey 1946. Having lived in Central Asia for a long time, the Oguz were eventually evicted from their lands by another Turkic tribe: the Kirghiz. Accompanied by the Uygur tribes, they migrated to the Middle East and Anatolia. The Uygur had originally migrated from what is now Mongolia to Eastern Turkistan in the south. Considerable numbers of the Oguz migrated to regions along the banks of the Aral and Sirderya Rivers to the west. The Kuragh tribes separated these two Turkish groups 9 . Most reliable historical sources suggest that all of the twenty-four Oguz tribes were related in some way to Oguz Khan, a mythical and universally beloved figure in Turkish folklore. It is also a well-known fact among Turkic peoples that ‘Oguz Khan’ was the official title bestowed on ‘Mete,’ the founder of the first Turkic Empire in the era preceding the birth of Jesus Christ. Among the tribes descended from the twenty-four tribes of Oguz, historians describe the Ottoman Turks as belonging to the ‘Kayi’ and the Seljuks to the ‘Kinik’ tribes. According to a Hungarian scholar, the word ‘Oguz’ is derived from the old Turkish word ‘Ok’ (meaning ‘tribe’) and the suffix ‘Uz,’ indicating the plural number. Thus, the combination of the two denotes ‘tribes.’ Specifically, what the word suggests is a homogeneous union of different tribes10. 9 Yılmaz Oztuna, Turkiye Tarihi (History of Turkey), Vol. 2, p. 6, lstanbul, Turkey 1963. 10 Huseyin Namık Orkun ,Türk Tarihi (Turkic History) Vol. 3, p. 43. Note: This source refers to a Hungarian scholar, but does not mention his name. If we bear in mind that these tribes were all related in some way to Oguz Khan (as mentioned above) and formed a closely-knit union of old Turkic tribes, it is evident that any theory which suggests the meaning ‘tribe,’ i.e., a single tribe, for ‘Oguz’ cannot be accepted. Furthermore, the most reliable and authentic historical sources suggest a meaning for ‘Oguz’ which supports the connotation of a union of tribes. The latter took their name from Oguz Khan (referred to above), the illustrious Turkish hero. Details of the life of Oguz Khan and the lore surrounding it can be found in the Biography of Oguz. Part of this biography is known as the book of Dede Korkut, a collection of twelve stories which describe specific historical events relating to the traditional beliefs and culture of Turkic society. There is also another poetic biography of Oguz Khan which has not yet been fully translated.